Prototyping to manage changes in your application (Webinar recap)

Whether you are migrating your application from desktop to web or creating a native mobile app for an existing desktop application, there is going to be change. One obvious change is that the technology stack used for the newer implementation. But there are other changes that are not readily apparent:

Your business has evolved: From the time the application was first built, the business/service has evolved, and newer requirements have emerged based on usage. This may demand tweaks to existing business workflows or newer workflows targeting user goals that did not previously exist.

Your users have evolved: Your users are constantly learning and on a look-out for software experiences that are more usable and delightful. Furthermore, your business may be trying to bring new users into the fold who don’t have prior experience with your application, but have used your competitor’s products.

UI patterns have evolved: We are constantly discovering new interaction paradigms that may change how users interact with software. Touch being one such paradigms. On top of that, we are learning about newer UI patterns which may not have existed when the app was first built.

So, yes-- change is inevitable. We should acknowledge that porting an existing application to a new technology is not just about the technology. Getting the experience wrong can be very expensive, as failure exposes the business to undue risk.

Prototyping is one way to manage this risk by experimenting newer ideas with both your existing users and users you like to have. Prototyping is as much about trying out new things as much it is about failing early. And above all, prototyping is about extracting maximum learning from minimum effort invested. Don’t spend valuable days to prototype something in code which could have taken you hours to do in Indigo Studio.